Awakening of the Dark Magi
by FinalxBoss
Summary: After Sora sealed the final keyhole, the worlds were safe from the darkness. Little did they know that sealing it would also mean the awakening of a far greater force that threatens existence itself.
1. Prologue: Daydream

Hello. This is a little fanfiction I wrote on the time I had away from school. Right now, the characters from the original Kingdom Hearts games hasn't been used, but when they are, I would just like to say that I own none of them. First, here's the description since it's a bit too long to be brief.

Long before the time of Heartless, Keyblades, and Organization XIII, only one single world existed in this universe. This one world was named simply 'Utopia'. This Utopia was a world of balanced light and darkness, for these two forces were kept in check by the Magi, or the global guardian, Gabriel. Under Gabriel's watchful eye, peace continued to last between these two forces... That is, until another force was born in Utopia. On one fateful day, a sudden force then led to the creation of another force far overwelming than anything that the denizens of this world have witnessed.

This force was the Keyblade. The power the Keyblade possessed started to sprout greed at a fast speed when the people finally realized of its existence. To obtain this force, people started fighting one another... Day after day, battles of all kind, no matter how small or little, started all for the Keyblade. After being exposed to this much chaos and corruption, the Magi, herself, became corrupted. It was her job to rid the worlds of the unnecessary disorder, and in order to destroy this much chaos, it was made her duty to eliminate the existence of this world.

The Magi, once benevolent, now became filled with wrath, began her mission. After an entire country within Utopia fell after one blast of Magi's power, the people, rather than fighting one another, hid attempting to avoid the wrath that the Magi would bring. Seven people who once worked as messengers of the Magi, or rather known as the Wisemen, finally stood having predicted the fate of this world if Magi continued her mission. The Wisemen then forged more Keyblades using their own powers and, using their awesome power, they managed to finally do battle and win against Magi, but they didn't manage to end her life. Instead, the Wisemen sealed the Magi's presence within different parts of the world in the shape of a Keyhole, but sealing her had its own toll. The world then started to split apart piece by piece and after an explosion took place, these fragments scattered across the cosmos, forming smaller worlds.

In each world, the Keyholes that served as the seals of Magi existed, but they also served another purpose: not only were they seals, they were also the entrance to the heart of the world. Locking the Keyholes would, not only close the door into the heart of the world, but also, they would eliminate one of the seals that kept the Magi in a dormant state. Still, the Keyblades that unlocked the Magi's seals also was the key to defeating Magi, were she ever awakened. Knowing this, the Wisemen placed a seal upon the Keyblades, themselves, until the one with the right heart was revealed. Not only that, they also prophesized that the powers of another Magi, not yet born, will awaken once the previous Magi, Gabriel, had awakened. Once that time comes, the new Magi must travel across the worlds in search of the descendants of the Wisemen, who hold the Keyblade, before Gabriel manages to find and destroy them.

Years after the destruction of Utopia and the birth of the numerous worlds, the Keyweilder and the descendent of one of the Wisemen, Sora, sealed all of the Keyholes in the different worlds and Kingdom Hearts; thus awakening the sleeping Magi. Now in a distant world, the Magi Gabriel awakes filled with the same rage long before, meaning that the powers of another Magi awakened. The battle that will reveal the fate of existence itself begins...

-------------------------------------------------Prologue: Daydream-------------------------------------------------------

_What is this?_

_What is this light?_

_It's so… Bright…_

Suddenly, a large, blue flash filled the eyes of a young boy, wearing but blue jeans, an orange shirt, and a green jacket as his sneakers were blue, stood in a blank area alone. As this light cleared, this child was now seen on a large pedestal. This pedestal was oddly designed. Like a mural, seven figures hidden by robes and hoods in each side while in the middle was a heavenly woman wearing robes that an angel would wear. Her arms were stretched as a ribbon was curled around her to her feet as well. The young boy curiously looked around him and walked forward, but as he stepped onto the face of the maiden's image, the large pedestal started rumbling and flames shot out of the void beneath the pedestal. "What the-?" gasped the boy as he looked around, jumping a little through shock.

_One who will save…_

_One who will destroy…_

_Who are you?_

Looking around to see where this voice was coming from, the black-haired boy looked around while asking angrily, "What are you talking about?" Thinking that he really should answer the question, seeing as he had nothing to do, he answered solemnly, "One who will save…" The flames grew brighter as they cast a shadow upon the pedestal.

_Fear… Anger… Sorrow…_

_If you are one that will save from these three…_

_Then choose wisely…_

Suddenly, three miniature pedestals erupted from the larger one. Soon, through thin air, individual weapons appeared hovering above them. One was a sword, while the other was a shield, and finally, there was a staff. They seemed well designed and also, each had a similar design of a large circle and two smaller circles on each side. Looking interestingly at them, the boy ran towards them and decided which to take. 'Which one… They all seem pretty valuable,' thought the boy. While continuing to walk around the three, he finally stopped at the sword. "Maybe this one," muttered the boy as he reached his arm forward to take the blade. Besides, he had practiced the art of swordsmanship in his school and was quite good at it too. After grasping the handle, the same voice appeared once more.

_The blade…_

_If wielded by one with noble intentions, it can save lives, and yet…_

_Even if it were to be wielded by one of a wicked heart…_

_They will both take lives in exchange…_

_Is this what you have chosen?_

"Yes," answered the boy. The other two pedestals crumbled into dust, along with the weapons. The flames grew brighter as the shadows they cast grew darker. The shadows of the flames, after reaching the faces of the robed figures, materialized on this pedestal in a solid shape. From the shadows of the men's faces, a jelly-like creature, long and with two tentacles, rose. Seven of them stood staring at the boy. Suddenly, their eyes opened widely as well. "What-"he gasped, "What are they?"

_Darkness… The Darkness of the Heart…_

_The Darkness lurks everywhere and takes shape differently, depending on its wielder…_

_This is your darkness…_

"M… My darkness?" asked the lad as he stood in a defensive stance. The shadows each moved slowly towards the boy as they extended their tentacles, each prepared to swallow him whole. Considering his current area, flight was hardly an option at this point, so a fight was to ensue. The child charged at one of the dark blobs and as its tentacle extended to whip its target, he jumped a bit backwards, dodging the attack, and rammed at its eye with his elbow, knocking it backwards. Using this chance, he slashed at the creature constantly and finally, after slashing it six times, it disappeared in a black mist. Seeing as one of their comrades has met its demise, the others stared at one another and moved towards each other.

Suddenly, they each joined together. Their thick, liquid bodies then merged together, forming one single creature. Rather than growing in size though, it started to mold itself into a humanoid creature. On its back, two wing-like shapes extended and on, what appeared to be its head, hair started to grow. Its body extended, shaping into a dress-like shape. On its face, two eyes opened, revealing a yellow glow that stared at the child. The child backed away, staring at the creature. "Who… Who are you?" asked he.

_The shape of your darkness…_

_This is the shape of your darkness…_

_You cannot defeat it yet…_

The creature, now transformed into a maiden-like shape resembling the one on the pedestal, started to mold its right hand into a sword-like shape. With that, it charged at the boy with a raised blade. Gasping, he quickly put his blade over him, closed his eyes out of fear, and a loud clang was heard. As he opened his eyes again, he now saw that his blade had been sliced in half. The other half of the blade wasn't on the pedestal, so it would be safe to assume that it had fallen into the dark void beneath it. The darkness, now on the other edge, charged forward quickly through flight and stretched its arms out. Paralyzed with fear, the unfortunate boy couldn't manage to move his legs, although his mind told him to run. Suddenly, as the darkness got close enough, it extended its left arm and suddenly, grabbed the neck of its opponent. "C… Can't… Breathe…" he said with a raspy voice as he felt the air escaping him. His entire life flashed before his eyes as he was being strangled to death.

_Don't worry…_

_Your Light will soon become stronger…_

_Don't be afraid…_

'How can I not…?' he thought as he coughed loudly. Suddenly, a stern voice then started to echo around him. "Wake up, Mr. Ito…" said the voice. "Wake up!" It felt as though his arm was being shaken by an unknown presence. Suddenly, as a ray of light filled his eyes, the area around him started to disappear. It was substituted by a room with desks and a large, green chalkboard. Children about his age stared at him with a curious gaze and a few muffled chuckles. "Well… It's nice to see you have woken, Mr. Ito. What sort of dream did you have this time, hmm? Apparently, you were under the sea since you kept saying you couldn't breathe, but don't worry. You're safe in school now. Maybe next time you can tell us all about it in the form of a fifteen page essay," said a man holding a book looking at him through rectangular glasses with a serious gaze. At this comment, a few of the children covered their mouths, holding in their laughter. "Oh… Sorry about that," said the child as he blushed brightly while fixing his glasses. 'Wow… This time, I didn't even know I was sleeping,' he thought. This boy's name is Zane Ito and he was a Junior High student in Montblanc Academy.


	2. Chapter One: Friends and Foes

Well, so far, I've been having some good reviews. That's nice… I'd like to thank you, the readers, for doing that and please feel free to express your ideas. If they're negative, in perspective, then I'll take your advice and learn from it. Here's Chapter One! Also, I apologize for taking too long. I was having doubts, but we learn to overcome them, don't we? Oh, yes… Here's the ever-popular disclaimer notice. I don't own Marche, Ritz, Mewt, Guiness, Lyle, or Colin. Square Enix has made them as characters of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

----------------Chapter One: Friends and Foes--------------------

As the bell rang, after having been scolded by Professor Aki, Zane got up from his desk and started to pick up the books and one by one, he placed them into his bag on the floor. While a few children passed by, they giggled silently as they stared at Zane, remembering the things he said while dreaming. With a sigh, Zane picked up his bag and walked towards the exit of the classroom.

"Now, remember, Mr. Ito," said Professor Aki while erasing the writing on the board, "get some sleep, won't you?"

With a low grumble, Zane nodded and finally left the room. It was the end of school and as usual, many students were each talking to one another while walking towards the staircases since the current area of our protagonist was on the third floor.

Clutching his bag tightly, Zane followed the wave towards the staircases, until, that is, a voice suddenly yelled, "Hey Zane!"

With a gasp, Zane jumped and quickly turned around to see whose voice that yelled to him. "Oh… Hello there, Hauser," said Zane with a sigh.

It was a portly boy followed by three other boys. Hauser Laplace… He was one of the more disliked students in Montblanc Academy.

Hauser, not only being a genius, was also rather portly. His hair, almost like an upside down bowl, covered his eyes. He wore, like all of the students, a black uniform with a shirt that has an emblem of the school which resembled a coat of arms.

Hauser, not only was he disliked for these characteristics, but also because of his attitude. Though his friends or more like henchmen, Guiness, Lyle, and Colin, were perhaps the only ones who really tolerated Hauser and thought of his words and jokes as amusing.

Colin was but a boy with a freckled face and dirty blonde hair. His eyes always looked blood-red and filled with rage, and his smile was most certainly not welcoming.

Guiness, who seemed like the "second-in-command" takes the appearance of a red-haired boy with most of his hair covered by a blue hat. His stupidity made one wonder just how many times he was dropped on his head after being born.

Lyle looked a lot like Colin, but just with a more neatly combed hair.

It wasn't as though Zane and Hauser were friends, but still, Hauser usually bothered him with every chance he got because of a certain "loan", which in reality was just four-hundred munny borrowed that just kept increasing at Hauser's will, which, to a total, became ten-thousand munny.

"So, you were dreaming again, huh? You know, you've been doing that for a long time since I've known you," said Hauser with a laugh. "What were you dreaming now, huh? Oh, I know! I bet you were dreaming that you were more like me! That's so kind of you,"

"There's no doubt!" exclaimed Colin.

"Highly likely!" Lyle added.

"Of course," stated Guiness with a raised index finger.

Zane glared at the four. "When hell freezes over, Hauser," Zane said, annoyed with his words.

"Ah, ah… Let's not forget about your family's little debt problem," Hauser said while wagging his fingers, "but I'm sure if you change that tone of yours, old friend, I'll get rid of maybe… Four-hundred or six-hundred munny for you,"

Guiness, Lyle, and Colin stepped out from behind Hauser while cracking their knuckles.

Remembering this, Zane stepped back a bit and said, "I didn't really consider that four-hundred munny a loan,"

"Well, that just shows how much you know," said Hauser with a chortle.

Of course, this was before Zane knew Hauser was such a criminal. "You'd better change that tone when you're talking to us," said Guiness as the other two backed him up.

They really were Hauser's yes-men and attack dogs. Zane, having been beaten up by Hauser and his minions on more than one occasion, stepped back a bit. Plus, he was outnumbered.

Students, noticing this, then started to crowd around the area watching this with expectations and amusement. A good fight now and then was really amusing, even if it was between the most hated students and a student moderately liked by others.

"Hey! Knock it off!" exclaimed a female voice. From the crowd, a red-haired girl wearing the traditional dress for female students, which was a blue vest with a white shirt beneath it and a skirt included, walked out, followed by a blonde-haired boy with long hair, which partially was designed like a single antennae on the front of his hair, and behind him was another boy with messy brown hair holding onto a teddy bear.

"You're all real cowards, to gang up on someone four against one. Pathetic," stated the red-haired girl.

Hauser laughed and stated, "Well, well… Why, if it isn't whitey-locks, the new kid, and of course, Mewt. I see you have your teddy bear again, you big baby!"

"You-!" cried the red-haired girl, "You know what our real names are, and you seem pretty confident, hiding behind your flunkies! Why don't you come here and say that?"

"Yes, well, Ritz… Frankly, my dear, I don't really want to," Hauser said, "because… I'm deathly afraid of you!"

With a loud cackle, followed by the laughter of the other three, Guiness then said, "We know you dye your hair 'cause it's really all white!"

Colin nodded and added, "Yeah, just like an old grandma! Hah hah! Little prissy grandma!"

"You little-!" shouted the red-haired girl, Ritz, while holding back her rage.

Hauser then turned his attention to Mewt and said to him, "Ah… Your injury has been cured. You remember that from yesterday, don't you? Oh… Your teddy bear's arm is stitched back together too. You remember that too, don't you?" asked Hauser.

Mewt stayed silent and backed away a bit, remembering what they did. They pelted him with rocks, eventually bleeding parts of his body as well.

"Just leave him alone!" shouted the blond-haired boy.

Almost everybody looked at him with surprise. "Marche…" muttered Ritz, also surprised with this sudden outburst.

"Oh, whatever…" muttered Hauser as he snapped his fingers. "Guiness, Colin, Lyle…"

The three nodded and walked towards the four, but they were stopped after seeing another person walk out from the crowd.

"What's wrong with you? Grow a spine and beat them!" shouted Hauser while stomping the ground with his foot.

"That won't be necessary," said a male voice. It belonged to one of the teachers, Mr. Leslaie.

"Mr. Laplace… Just who were you going to beat?" asked Mr. Leslaie waiting for an answer with crossed arms.

"Err… Uh…" muttered Hauser, in front of his three 'friends', "Nothing… Sir,"

"It really didn't look like 'nothing'. I think we need another chat, even after yesterday after you threw rocks at young Mr. Mewt Randell," said Mr. Leslaie as he grabbed the arms of Guiness and Hauser. "The rest of you," said Mr. Leslaie referring to the Colin and Lyle, "follow me. I think a month's worth of detention should fix your attitudes. Nothing to see here… Move along,"

With that, the crowd of students went along to their businesses, satisfied with what they saw, while Mr. Leslaie took four angered boys in the direction of his classroom, which was conveniently built in this floor.

Marche Radiuju… He was the new student of Montblanc Academy who arrived just yesterday. He had a brother named Doned, who was usually home schooled, but usually spent his time in the hospital after a disease. His father left his mother, and his mother usually took care of Doned and hardly had enough time for Marche.

Ritz Malheur is a rather spunky girl and is a bit insecure about her hair. It may seem red, but in reality, it's white and she dyes it to make it so that it has color.

Mewt Randell is a rather soppy boy who usually carries around a teddy bear which was what his mother gave to him before dying. After her death, his father, Cid Randell, loses all of his devotion to work and is pretty much a pathetic excuse for a man.

"Are you okay?" asked Marche to Zane. Zane responded humbly, "Yes… I am," then added, "thanks. My name's Zane, by the way,"

"I'm Ritz," said Ritz.

"My name's Marche," introduced Marche, and finally, Mewt simply muttered his name.

"I take it that Hauser and his gang also bothers you," Zane said.

The three nodded solemnly and Mewt then said, "Well, I'd better go now. I was going to go buy this book and I was wondering if you wanted to come along?"

"Sorry, I can't. My little brother's getting out of the hospital today," Marche said.

Ritz then asked, "Hospital? Was he sick?"

"No… It's something he was born with. We have to take him to the hospital every now and then," responded Marche.

"Oh…" sighed Zane, "I'm sorry,"

Marche turned to Zane from Ritz and said, "You don't need to be. If you find your book, then let's meet at my house. It's just a few blocks north from the school and it's the only two-story house with a blue roof. Well, I'd better get going now. See you,"

With that, Marche walked away and to the staircases. Ritz sighed and said, "Wow… That's rough. So, what kind of book are you getting, Mewt?"

Mewt chuckled slightly at the thought of the book's subject and said, "It's about monsters and magic and stuff like that. Well… It's getting late, so I suppose we should be going," "

I'll come with you!" exclaimed Zane.

Ritz nodded and said, "Me too," With that, the three stated their walk towards the staircases.

Though Zane has been in this school, he hardly had any friends because of his constant habit of daydreaming and sleeps talking in class. Sometimes he wondered if these dreams had some meaning… Just what if they were trying to tell him something? 'It's probably nothing,' thought Zane with a soft chuckle while walking with his new friends.

"What's so funny?" asked Mewt and with a smile, Zane responded, "Nothing really,"

Actually, the closest person that was a friend to him was Hauser since they were also neighbors. With friends like that, who needs enemies, really? Maybe, from this point on, everything was going to be better.

Upon leaving the school, the three then spotted a man talking to two other men.

"I'm really, really sorry. Please accept my apologies," said a man with long and dirty brown hair and a beard.

The one of the two men, who wore suits, responded, "Mr. Randell… We expect a certain level of performance, regardless of circumstances…"

"It won't happen again," stated Mr. Randell with a frown and a hand behind the back of his head.

"See that it doesn't. You're very close to being fired, I assure you," stated the other man as they walked away.

"Look at that guy cringing like that! How embarrassing…" muttered Ritz while Zane muttered to her, "I don't know… I almost feel sorry for him,"

Mr. Randell, taking notice of the children, and then happily asked, "Mewt? Mewt it's you!"

Hesitating a bit, Mewt responded while looking down at the ground, "Hi… Dad… Um… Don't you have any work to do, Dad?"

"Ah… Yes! You know, busy, busy, busy!" said Cid Randell with a hesitant chuckle. He then walked towards to Zane and Ritz and said, "Please keep an eye on him, okay?"

With that, Mewt's father, Cid, walked away with a hand on his forehead.

"He used to work at a bigger company before. When Mom died, he stopped caring. He broke down big time… Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the bookstore," said Mewt as he continued walking.

With that, the three climbed down the stairs of the school yard and walked along the sidewalk in the direction of the bookstore.

On the streets, cars drove quickly and stopped when the signal's light was red. Many people in suits, hats, and suitcases in their hands walked along the sidewalk as though missing an important meeting.

This area's name is Montblanc City, a world isolated from the other worlds. It never dealt with the threat of the Nobodies or Heartless, and unlike a few worlds, it was devoid of sorcery and swordsmanship. It was a peaceful world with technology expanding everyday.

People minded their own businesses and tended to their own works, so if this world was so silent, one would expect something to happen sooner or later, right?

The clouds have been getting a bit darker everyday, though…


	3. Chapter Two: Visit to the Bookstore

Whaaa! It is I once more with my second chapter of my fanfiction. Really, it's been delightful writing this and some of you did have a few suggestions for me. Rest assured, I'll take them into consideration and improve upon myself. Ha, ha… Once again, I don't own a few of these characters. They belong to the good people in Square Enix.

-------------------Chapter Two: Visit to the Bookstore-----------------------

Minutes later, after walking and chatting on their way from school, Zane, Ritz, and Mewt finally reached the bookstore. This bookstore seemed quite old, for it was the only building that seemed to stand out. This particular bookstore, small and humble, yet filled with different literature, was in between two large office buildings.

"What's this?" asked Mewt as he noticed a sign on the window. It read "Closing after fifty years of service,"

Zane scratched his chin as he gazed upon this building. Something about it seemed very odd and it was as though something in it called to him.

Ritz approached the door and pushed it. After opening this door, a bell jingled and both Zane and Mewt followed Ritz inside. Inside it seemed a lot larger than its exterior. There were numerous rows and shelves of books and one could just smell this area to know how old some of this literature was, but some of the books were in boxes.

"Oh? Customers?" asked a voice. Footsteps echoed as it drew nearer to the three. It belonged to a young man with long, black hair and a pince-nez was on his nose. His eyes were brown and squinted and he wore a black vest, long black pants which could have made a great combination with a suit, and, what seemed to be an interesting combination to his clothing, sneakers. With a light smile, the man chuckled and said, "Welcome… But I'm afraid we'll be closing down soon. Oh… Why, it's Mewt! Who are your friends?"

Mewt answered the owner of the bookstore, "Hello Mr. Song," With a small wave, he turned around and pointed to Zane and said, "His name is Zane Ito,"

With a kind smile, Zane waved while Mewt introduced Ritz to the owner. It wasn't clear, but… He looks very familiar. This was the first time they have met, he was sure of that, but nevertheless, he seemed familiar.

"Oh, now, now…" said Mr. Song with a soft chortle, "You're my best customer, Mewt. Just call me Enju and that goes for your friends as well,"

Mewt responded with a softer chortle and asked, "So, you're really closing the store?"

At the mention of this, Enju rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh. After a mere three seconds of doing this, he let go and smiled. "I'm afraid I really am closing this store. It seems that I can't afford to keep this old place anymore. There's nothing I can do about it, unfortunately, but you know…" Enju walked over slowly to one of his shelves and picked up a book by the name of 'I Want To Be Your Canary', written by Lord Avon. The young storeowner then said, "These books were my life. I've spent my childhood reading all I could and when I finished reading it, I wanted to share it with everybody. That's why I wanted to buy this store in the first place with the money I had to share it with people so that they can learn what joy it is to read these books, but I'm afraid this dream has to come to an end tonight. Still… I'm happy. I'm happy because during these days when I opened this store, I met a few people who shared my love for literature. Like you, Mewt… Of course, I'll have to think of a way to support myself, but that won't be a problem, really. So, as my treat… You can pick out one book for yourselves. It's on me,"

"Wow… Thank you, Enju," said Mewt with a kind smile as he went off to find that book he wanted to buy.

"Hey! Wait for me!" exclaimed Ritz as she followed Mewt.

Just as Zane was about to follow them, a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked behind himself and saw that it was Enju. "Yes, sir?" asked Zane with curiosity.

"Your name is Zane, correct?" asked Enju with a kind expression, "There's something I'd like you to see," After placing the copy of Lord Avon's play back into the shelf, Enju walked over to the counter near the two. He bent over and after grabbing a book, he got up and walked towards Zane. "Now… In my lifetime, I've collected books from all over the worlds. This particular book was given to me as a gift, but reading it is near impossible for me, considering its language. I don't think such a language even exists in this world, but I don't have long for this world. Please hold onto it…"

Zane looked thoroughly at the book. It was old, brown, and it appeared as though some of its pages were torn. It wasn't a wonder that he couldn't read it or think it was in a different language, considering the possible amount of mold and stains that should have been smeared over its pages, but nevertheless, as Enju extended his arm to hand him the book, he took it. "Thank you," Zane managed to say as he opened the book. It was in another language, but for some reason, as Zane looked through this book, words started to go through his mind as he looked through the letters.

'_Resurrection'_

_The Magi will one day soon be born in another body when the previous one falls. We have sealed it long ago in the form of a Keyhole in the different parts of this world, eliminating its presence. Beings such as the Magi, omnipotent, omniscient, yet innocent, cannot die. Instead, another is granted with its power. The Magi, however, retained all of her powers but another somehow will bear it, including a fragment of herself. This being will not know of its power until it is finally awakened, but we do know that he will do anything and everything to try and awaken this, even unknown to this being's knowledge. When this resurrection takes place, the Magi will reawaken, but this 'fragment' will be missing. The fragment, or the powers that passed onto this new Magi, possesses the catalyst to activating the Magi's destructive power. Without it, there's not much the Magi can do._

Zane looked through the columns and rows of archaic language, and the words continued to flash in his mind. The pace of these words flashing in his mind started to hasten until suddenly, it started to become unbearable. As though a sudden knife had stabbed the back of his head, Zane gasped painfully. He dropped to the floor and after that, everything went dark.

A vision then started to appear in Zane's mind. There were eight silhouettes surrounding one. The skies appeared as though they were enflamed. Thunder and electricity cracked as though the gods themselves battled against one another in the air. This was truly Armageddon.

"So… Even you would oppose me? So be it…" said a woman hovering above the cracked ground. She had six wings on her back and around her was a dark aura, crackling with electricity. This woman wore an elegant, white dress with a white mantle covering her shoulders. Her blonde hair blew in this furious wind of this fearsome area of lifeless. In front of this angelic being were seven beings wearing a robe and wielding blades in the shape of a key. Their faces were hidden by the shadow cast by the hoods of the robe.

One of these beings then said, "As the Wisemen, we have served the Magi for as long as we have lived and as such, it is our duty to aid the Magi at any cost. We fight her, not with ill intent, but to save her from this confusion,"

The woman's eyebrows furrowed and twitched as her fists were engulfed by dark flames. "Your stupidity knows no bounds, does it? Very well then… Like this corrupt world, you can burn along with it!" she exclaimed as she swung her long staff. It was long and black, and its tip had a crescent shape.

Suddenly, a glyph of light was conjured in the skies. This glyph, glowing brightly, summoned meteorites with the potential to put an end to an entire world.

The woman said as this spell was casted, "The balance of the world will soon be restored… As the Magi, I pray for a just fate in the afterlife,"

As the meteorites were at a close distance to this world, the Wisemen began to mutter an incantation as each released their hold upon their Keyblades. Rather than hitting the ground, they hovered in the air as a bright aura surrounded these seven figures.

The Keyblades each circled around the woman and, through confusion, she looked around her seeing just what they would do.

They halted instantly and pierced through the ground forming a circle and, in the space within the circle where the Magi also floated, a bright light shot up and struck her.

A piercing scream was heard as this light struck this woman. Upon the space, a dark light in the shape of a keyhole formed. As it did, the body of the woman released a glow and split apart into numerous orbs that were pulled into the keyhole.

After the spell was completed, the keyhole disappeared, along with the Keyblades. "We… Did it…" muttered a Wiseman.

Another muttered, "Yeah… We did…"

Their energy being depleted, they each dropped to the floor. Though their opponent was trapped in the prison they created, the meteorites weren't stopped. Each fell onto the earth of this world, cracking it.

Across the world, people could be seen screaming for their lives as they frantically ran in the cities, towns and villages, but these areas were struck. This world then started to break apart into numerous pieces supposedly doomed to float around space for the rest of eternity.

Darkness… There was nothing more than darkness now. Through this attempt, it as truly as though existence itself has been eliminated. An explosion was suddenly made on the site of this world and from this, numerous, glowing spheres scattered across the cosmos. These spheres burst on different sites and suddenly, different worlds, though empty, were made. While a few were close to the site of the explosion, the others continued moving towards the darker regions of space. A few burst, creating different worlds, but this particular sphere continued moving towards the deep darkness at light-speed.

"Zane!" a voice shouted.

"Zane!" it shouted again.

The darkness then started to fade as light replaced it. In the eyes of Zane, a blurry vision of three figures stared down at him, including a bright light. As this vision became clearer, it was revealed that the lights were upon the ceiling as the three figures that stared down at him were Mewt, Ritz, and Enju.

"Ah… Good! He came to," said Ritz with a relieved smile, offering him a hand.

Zane took it and, with Ritz's support, he managed to easily get up. Her grip and pull were actually pretty strong.

"Oh dear," said Enju, "Are you all right? You've been lying down like that for quite a long time,"

"Yes, I'm fine," said Zane while rubbing his head, "how long was I out?"

Mewt then responded, "You were out twenty minutes after I got back. Do you pass out like this often?"

Zane nodded and answered, "Yeah… I do… So, I suppose we'll get going," It was better not to tell them about the dream he had and the reason for passing out. Actually, he didn't understand it either, but something like this really did happen; mostly in school, really. With the book in his hand, Zane approached the exit of the bookstore.

Ritz nodded and she followed him towards the exit, followed by Mewt.

"Good bye, Enju!" exclaimed Mewt with a wave.

With a soft chuckle, Enju answered, "Good bye!" As they finally left the store, followed by a ring of the bell after the door both opened and closed, Enju's kind smile faded and the joyful appearance in his eyes was replaced by a tired look. "I've done my part. I think the boy now knows what happened to him in his 'past life'. It'll begin soon, so I've prepared for the worst. All I can do now is pray that he'll survive," With that, the bookstore's owner turned around and walked towards the darkness of his store. "After all… That was the Wisemen's testaments I gave him," He said as he flipped a light switch, turning off the lights of the brighter areas of the store.


	4. Chapter Three: Marche's House

Hello there! Have you been well since my previous chapter? Ha, ha… Well, my good readers, here's the third chapter to tickle your fancies. Of course, I do not own a few of these characters. Square Enix does… Oh… If you are an artist, then please e-mail me. I need somebody to draw my characters, if you're interested or at least have enough spare time.

-----------------------------------Chapter Three: Marche's House--------------------------------

Meanwhile, in Marche's House, Marche, holding his bag filled with books, entered his room. In it were two beds in the back, both wide with purple blankets, each made, with a small table and lamp between the two. Nearest to the door, there was a red television set and next to that were two tables adjacent to one another. On it were five books with red covers and seven books with green covers. A red lamp was upon it as well and on the wall was a calendar with a picture of a row of moogles.

In the room, staring at the window was a red-haired boy in a wheelchair. He turned his head towards the door and smiled with delight. "Oh, hiya. Welcome back. You're kinda late, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well…" Marche stated as he approached the closet door, "There were a few people that were bothering my friends and I, Doned," He slid the door opened, entered, turned around, and closed it.

"Oh… A fight, huh? On your first day too…" stated Doned while backing his wheelchair up and making a turn in order to face the closet door.

"Yeah, well… It's not like I never had to deal with that in our other town," said Marche's voice from inside the closet. The door slid open again and Marche changed his clothes from his school uniform to a blue shirt, brown shorts, yet no socks or shoes to go with it.

Suddenly, a voice downstairs of the Radiuju household then called, "Marche! Your guests are here!"

"Tell them to come up!" replied Marche.

Doned tilted his head and asked, "You invited over some friends?"

Marche nodded and said, "Yeah, one of them said he found this really cool book. I thought you might want to see it too. You like books, don't you? You're always reading them,"

With an almost sad look, Doned replied, "Only because there's nothing else to do at the hospital. Nothing except read and play games, that is,"

The door knocked and behind it, Ritz called to Marche, "Hello! We're here!"

It opened and one by one, Ritz, Mewt, and Zane walked in.

"Oh, so you're Marche's brother! Nice to meet you," said Zane with a friendly smile as he took notice of Doned.

"You must be Doned!" Ritz exclaimed as she approached him, "I'm Ritz, your brother's classmate," She then turned to face Mewt and said, "And this is Mewt,"

"Hiya," Doned said while waving to the three.

Zane looked around the room. It had a warm and homely feeling to it, despite the fact that it was somebody's home. It was kind of like his, just without the extra bed. In his arms was the same book that Enju had given him. He decided that he would keep it, not because it was a well-meaning gift from the bookstore's owner, but because of what had happened when he tried to read it. 'Maybe it's really important' thought Zane a while ago when he decided to keep it.

In Mewt's arms was a thick book with a small, blue gem encrusted in its cover. Surrounding it was an array of patterns in a white color. It's title was unknown, but during the time Zane was unconscious, Enju recommended this to Mewt with a comment, "You might not understand the language, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it,"

"Did you get that book?" asked Marche.

Mewt nodded and answered, "Yeah. It's right here," he said as he put it down on the hard, wooden floor, "but I don't know what the title is. The bookstore's owner, Enju, said that even though I don't understand the language, he's sure that I'll enjoy it," Zane, Marche, and Ritz gathered around Mewt and the book as Doned wheeled over to the three. Mewt flipped the book open and started to slowly flip the pages of it. A few of the letters were smudged, few were in symbols, and the others were in the English language, but its vocabulary seemed beyond what today's people uses.

Marche, scratching his head, chuckled lightly and exclaimed, "I can't understand these letters at all! Maybe they're some kind of magic spell!"

"You might not be so far off. Look, a magic circle! Maybe this is in Latin or something? Oh, look… There are some later additions too! What does this say?"

Mewt narrowed his eyes and tried to read it. Reading it seemed very difficult, but he managed to make out what it probably said. "…Alta oron, sondus kameela… It sure sounds like magic!" exclaimed Mewt with delight in his voice.

Doned smiled as his eyes twinkled with wonder and exclaimed, "Wow, a magic book! I wish I could use magic!"

Zane chuckled and nodded at Doned's comment. 'Only if it were true,' thought Zane, getting excited at the thought of this sorcery.

"If you could use magic, maybe you'd be better at sports!" exclaimed Doned to Marche with a laugh.

Marche laughed along with him and exclaimed, "That's not funny!" He was never really good with sports, so there were still truths in what Doned had joked about.

Doned, after finishing his laugh, said, "It's true!"

Everybody laughed as Marche and Doned joked with one another. It was amusing to see such a sight and to share these sorts of fantasies with one another.

"It'd really be nice if that was a magic book. I'd settle for something small like a vanishing act, but only if it was real," said Zane.

Mewt nodded in agreement and said, "Haven't you read a book and thought… 'What if the world inside this book was real?'"

Ritz shook her head and stated, "I don't know… Most of the books are so boring! They're all way too predictable,"

"Well, what do you like, Ritz? Comic books?" asked Marche.

"Games," answered Ritz, "You know, fighting monsters and all that,"

Marche chuckled in amusement at her answer and said, "Okay," then asked, "If you could make any game real, what would it be?"

Ritz scratched her chin a bit, thinking at the question, and said, "That's a good question,"

Mewt then answered, "I'd pick 'Final Fantasy'! That's my favorite!"

"Well," Zane began, "That really is a good game, but if it were my choice, I'd pick something like Earthbound or Disgaea: The Hour of Darkness,"

The four laughed with amusement at these ideas, but Ritz glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "My, my, look at the time. I should get going soon,"

Ritz, Zane, Marche stood while Mewt picked up his book. "Yeah, me too," said Mewt, "see you in school tomorrow,"

"Thanks for having us over, Marche, see you tomorrow!" exclaimed Ritz, "Nice meeting you too, Doned!"

Zane nodded and said, "Yeah, thanks. See you later,"

"Wait, I'll see you guys out! Be right back, Doned," said Marche as he followed Zane, Ritz, and Mewt outside the room, leaving Doned alone for the time being.

Alone, Doned sighed heavily and muttered sadly, "I wish I could use magic,"

"Doned! Time for your medicine!" shouted Marche's mother from downstairs.

Doned nodded and yelled, "Okay!" With that, he left the room.

Outside, Ritz, Mewt, and Zane waved to one another as they went their separate ways. "That was a nice visit," said Zane with a smile under the night sky. There weren't many people around and the sound of crickets chirping was deafening. Zane continued walking, holding his book, and towards the direction of his house, but suddenly, he stopped after seeing someone in front of him. "Oh… You…" said Zane with a sigh as he saw the one person that would really ruin his current mood, Hauser.

Hauser, wearing blue suspenders and a white shirt, stood in front of the sidewalk with a grin on his face. "Hiya, Zane," said Hauser, "You were at your new friends' house, huh? I suppose after that whole bickering in school, you all fell for one another,"

Zane furrowed his eyebrows and continued walking. He walked past Hauser, but quickly, the portly child tackled him and snatched the book he had in his arms.

"Oh, so what's this?" asked Hauser as he looked through it. "Some old junk… Well, this seems important to you if you're going to carry it around, so consider this a fee for getting me a month's worth of detention from Leslaie," With that, Hauser laughed and started running towards the direction of the city park nearby.

"That Hauser…" muttered Zane angrily while running after him. For a stout lad, he was pretty fast.


End file.
